Bill to Provide Service Dogs for Veterans with PTSD Passes House Unanimously

Bear, service dog, shakes the hand of a U.S. Navy veteran prior to the start of their 4 Paws 2 Freedom program graduation March 22, 2019 at Beale Air Force Base, California. (U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Alexandre Montes)

While the VA has been studying the use of service dogs for mental health treatment, it currently only covers service dogs for use in mobility issues.

The bipartisan bill was introduced by Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Ohio, who has served in Iraq in the Ohio ArmyNational Guard.

"A soldier under my command during Operation Iraqi Freedom recently told me what his service dog means to him: he was able to fly on a plane for the first time in 10 years and he took his fiancée to dinner," Stivers said in a statement when H.R. 4305 was introduced. "That is the impact this bill can have on the lives of our veterans."

Lawmakers have long been exploring different ways to combat veterans' mental health issues . Statistics show about 20 veterans die by suicide every day.

"The process of obtaining a service dog is lengthy and costly, a cost that is out of reach for many veterans," Dr. Robin Ganzert, American Humane president, said in a news release. "This is long overdue."

Congress previously mandated that VA study the use of service dogs for PTSD and other mental health problems in 2010. But the pilot was suspended twice when two service dogs bit children and some dogs experienced health issues.

The VA has since restarted the study, and the first report on whether service dogs or emotional support dogs help veterans with PTSD will be released this summer. Six months later, the second part will show if the kind of dog factored into "health economics savings" such as reduced hospital stays or reliance on medication.

The bill now goes to the Senate, which has several of its own related bills.